Page 110 of Tears Like Acid

I crouch in front of her. “What’s the matter, darling? Don’t you like the doll?”

She bites her lip and looks away, clearly sad instead of happy.

Fuck. What did I get wrong? “Is the dress not the right color?”

She shakes her head and meets my gaze again before saying in a trembling voice, “I want to go home, back to Sabella.”

Blowing out a silent sigh, I consider how to approach this. I can’t lie to her. That will definitely betray her trust. I did however promise I’d take her back today.

“Sophie,” I start carefully, brushing a hand over her short hair. “Do you remember when we talked about your room at Sabella’s house being temporary and that you’d eventually live here?”

She shakes her head more vehemently and says with more volume, “I want to see Sabella.”

“And you will. I’ll take you back in a moment.”

Tilting her head, she considers me with a pleated forehead. “Really?”

“That’s what I said back at the—” I catch myself, not being able to say that word out loud. “Back on the hill.”

“Can we go now?”

“Yes.” I straighten with an audible sigh this time. “Of course. If that’s what you want.”

She holds the box out to me. “Thanks anyway. She’s very nice.”

My heart softens. This scrap of a girl is going to wrap me around her little finger. Correction. She’s already won me over tenfold. “As I said, it’s yours. You can take it with you.” I don’t want to tell her my intention for giving her a real doll was to replace the stick one. I’m not as sure as I was when I bought the doll that the gesture will be welcome.

“Really?” she asks again.

“That’s what a gift means. You can do with it as you please.”

“All right.” She looks with closer attention at the doll. “I’ll have to ask Beatrice first. Maybe Beatrice won’t like her.”

“If Beatrice doesn’t like her, she can stay here.”

“Okay,” she says, wrapping her small hand around mine.

When I close my fingers around hers, I’m a goner. I already love her like she’s my own. “Shall we go?”

“Yes.” She sounds relieved. “Please.”

After letting Heidi know I’m taking Sophie to the new house, I load my niece and both her dolls in the car. I’m buckling Sophie in on the backseat when Toma pulls up. He gets out of his car and walks to me with a hesitant stride. I test the hold and the stretch of the seatbelt while he stops two steps away and hovers there with an air of uncertainty.

I take my time to double-check that Sophie is secure before straightening and acknowledging him. “Toma.”

“Angelo.” He shifts his weight. “I came to apologize for taking a piss.”

Pinning him with a stare, I say, “You mean for not doing your job.”

He scratches his head and looks away. “Yeah. That’s what I meant.”

“It’s not a difficult job, is it?”

His nostrils flare. “No.”

“Then don’t give me the impression that you’re an idiot.”

He clenches his fingers into balls at his sides. “It won’t happen again.”

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